Travis Lutter cut from the UFC

Travis Lutter cut from the UFC

UFC middleweight and “The Ultimate Fighter 4” winner Travis Lutter, who most recently suffered a second-round TKO to Rich Franklin at UFC 83, has been released from the UFC.

Lutter confirmed the news with a recent blog post.

The cut is the latest from the UFC, which has been trimming its roster of fighters in recent months. As MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) previously reported, one of the highest-profile cases included Jake O’Brien earlier this month.

Lutter, who nearly submitted Franklin with a first-round armbar at the April 19 event, has been dropped from the UFC after facing arguably the division’s top two fighters: Franklin and UFC middleweight title-holder Anderson Silva.

“Friday [afternoon] I was told by my manager that UFC matchmaker Joe [Silva] had left my him a message on his phone that I had been released from my UFC contract because of my two losses in a row,” Lutter wrote.

After defeating Patrick Cote to win “TUF 4,” Lutter earned his guaranteed title shot with Silva. However, he failed to make weight for the event — earning the wrath of MMA fans and even UFC president Dana White — and despite a solid first round, he ultimately suffered a second-round submission loss via strikes.

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